Percy Jackson and the Tidal Wave
by jelloqueen1998
Summary: After the Titan War, Percy Jackson is glad he gets to spend some quality time with his girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, and her family in San Francisco. But things never work out the way they should for demigods. Join Percy and Annabeth as they fight to protect the city from a threat even bigger than Kronos. Set between the Last Olympian and the Lost Hero.
1. Ch 1: My Fall Break Falls Down Hill

MY FALL BREAK WAS TURNING OUT PRETTY WEIRD. I mean, I'm a demigod, so my life is already weird enough. But fighting with my girlfriend's dad wasn't something I was expecting this week.

After the Second Titan War this summer, Annabeth and her family invited me to spend fall break with them in San Francisco. I know it's not the safest place in the world, but I'd figured that I'd been in bigger danger than this. Besides, Annabeth seemed pretty comfortable here now.

I dove to the right and lifted up Riptide just in time to protect myself from a swarm of bullets. Three of them hit me anyways, but, thanks to the curse of Achilles, they glanced of my skin and onto the ground and exploded.

You see, Mr. Chase had figured out how to modify certain guns to fire Celestial bronze bullets which, on impact, exploded with Greek fire. Right now he was testing a BM 40. "Come on, Seaweed Brain," yelled Annabeth over the gunfire. "I know you can do better than that."

She was the one who talked me into doing it. "It will be fun," she said. "It'll be a great chance to bond with my dad AND test a new weapon that could give us an edge in any battles."Yeah right.

I was just about to surrender when Mrs. Chase called us for lunch. Mr. Chase stopped and lifted up his protective glasses. "So what do you think?"

"I think it's awesome. I just wish you'd thought of it this summer."

"I agree," Annabeth said. "But I think you should make the trigger a little less sensitive. ADHD kids probably won't be careful with them. Plus, Chiron will want to train us before using them in battle."

Mr. Chase sighed and scratched his head. "The thing is, that in order to make this gun, I had to take parts from an antique, one-of-a-kind gun."

"So this is the only one."

"Sadly, yes." Mr. Chase said disappointedly.

"That's ok. I mean, one's better than nothing," I said. Mr. Chase smiled.

I was personally very disappointed, but I was grateful to at least have one as long as Clarisse didn't use it. If she did, I'd probably wind up dead. Curse of Achilles or not.

"But about the sensitivity problem," continued Mr. Chase, "that should be no problem to fix. All I have to do is re-adjust the-"

"Fredrick, stop playing with your 'toys' and come up here and get ready for lunch!"

"Coming, dear!"

We went up to the house. I was grateful that Mrs. Chase had saved me from a ballistics lecture from Mr. Chase. When we walked in, the first thing I smelt was chocolate chip cookies. She came out of the kitchen with a platter of sandwiches.

Annabeth's step-brothers, Bobby and Matthew, were on the floor playing Mythomagic. It reminded me of the first time I met Nico Di Angelo. It always made me sad to think of the sweet, innocent boy who had his life turned upside down.

We sat down at the table.

"What kind of sandwich do you want, Percy? Ham or PB&J?"

"PB&J, please."

We sat down and ate. Annabeth had ham along with Bobby and Mrs. Chase while Mr. Chase, Mathew, and I had PB&J.

"So," asked Mrs. Chase. "What are you and Annabeth going to do today?"

"She's going to show me around town."

"That sounds fun. You should take him to that museum you like so much, Annabeth."

Annabeth and her stepmom were getting pretty close now. I guess she finally accepted that Annabeth wasn't normal. I think she is kind of thankful to have a daughter.

"Probably not. Percy doesn't really like museums… or learning."

"Hey, it's not my fault," I said defensively. "Blame the ADHD."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. I love learning and I'm ADHD."

"But you're not me," I countered.

"Anyways," she said, ignoring my interruption. "We were planning to check out the Golden Gate Bridge and maybe ketch a ride on a Segway."

"COOL! Can I come?" asked Bobby.

"Nope," Annabeth replied.

"What about me?"

"No, Matthew. If Bobby can't come, that means you can't come either."

"Awwwwwww….." they both said in unison.

"Well then," Mr. Chase said as he wiped his mouth. "If you want to get that done, you'd better get going."

"That reminds me, can I borrow the car?"

"Sure honey. Just be back by 8. Love you, have fun!" I finished my sandwich and followed Annabeth out of the door.

She grabbed the keys of the counter and we went out the door. She didn't have her license, so she gave me the keys. It was about a 30 minute drive from her house to the city. Once we got there, she directed me to a parking lot at the entrance of the city.

We got out and walked to 757 Beach Street. Standing in the rear parking lot was a girl with red hair and green eyes. She had freckles and a peppy smile that was strangely creepy. She was wearing a blue-and-white uniform with a clipboard tucked under her arm.

"Hi, there!" She said. "I'm Raquel. But you can call me Rocky, Rock, or R. I will be leading your segway tour today. I have the WHOLE day planned out for us. We are going to have SO much fun!"

She turned around and started to skip to the segway. I glanced at Annabeth.

"At least she is nice."

"Creepy if you ask me. I think she's hyped up on Monsters or something." Or she is a monster, I thought.

She looked backed and gestured for us to follow.

"Come on, you two! Let's get a move on."

Oh joy.

Once Annabeth convinced me that Raquel wasn't a monster, I had a really good time. We rode past the Civil Center, Union Square, and Chinatown. Annabeth kept blurting out facts about the architectural differences about all the significant places we passed. Raquel looked like a student paying attention to a teacher who was giving out the answers to a test.

I wasn't really paying attention. I would nod, agree with her if she asked my opinion on something. You know, the basic stuff. The only thing I was really interested in was Alcatraz.

"The island received its name in 1775 when Spanish explorer ,Juan Manuel de Ayala, charted the San Francisco Bay, and named this tiny speck of land "La Isla de los Alcatraces", which translated to "Island of the Pelicans." The small uninhabited island had little to offer, with its swift currents, minimal vegetation, and barren ground.

"Seventy-two years later in 1847, the U.S. Army took notice of "The Rock" and of its strategic value as a military fortification. Topographical engineers began conducting geological surveys, and by 1853, U.S. Army Engineers had started constructing a military fortress on the island, along with the Pacific Coast's first operating lighthouse. In 1848, the discovery of gold along the American River in California brought shiploads of miners from around the world to the West Coast in search of the precious metal. As word spread around the globe of abundant wealth in California, the United States Government would invoke security measures to protect its land and mineral resources from seizure by other countries."

"It looks like a castle on a pile of rocks," I said. "I'd HATE to be trapped on that island. It looks impossible to escape."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You're the son of Poseidon, Seaweed Brain," she whispered.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," I said blushing slightly.

"Darn it!" said Raquel snapping her fingers. "Looks like our time is up." We pulled to stop. "Remember: whenever you're in town and want to go on a tour, ask for me, K?"

"We'll be sure to do that."

She looked behind us and stared back at us. I looked back and saw a couple dragging along a screaming child.

"My 5:30's here. Here," she said pulling out a card. "If you ever need me, call." She handed me a business card.

"Thanks," I said. She waved good-bye then turned her attention to the family that had walked up.

We had 2 ½ hours left so we went to this place called "Ben and Jerry's" to grab some ice cream. Afterwards, we headed up to the Golden Gate Bridge. We got there as the sun was setting.

Annabeth put her head on my shoulder, looking out over the horizon.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes you are."

Annabeth chuckled and pushed me gently. "You're so corny."

I shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

She kissed me on the cheek and put her head back on my shoulder. Together, we watched the sunset go down. She looked at her watch.

"Di immortales! It's 7. We should head back to the car."

I nodded and helped her up.

When we got back to the car, I put the keys into the ignition. I pulled out of the parking lot and got on the highway. We were about 15 minutes away from Annabeth's house when the tire popped.

I pulled the car over to the side of the road, and we got out to inspect the tire. There was a slash in it. While Annabeth got the spare tire, I looked around. I saw something glint from the fading sun. I picked it up. It was a metal feather. There was only one thing that it could have come from.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked when she saw my worried look.

I turned around and I saw a swarm of black dots flying towards us. "Stygian Birds."

**A/N: SORRY ABOUT THE STORY BEING HARD TO READ! I don't know what happened, but I'm going to re-post it so it will be easier to read. Again, sorry about that. Enjoy the story! REVIEW!**


	2. Ch 2: I Get A Late Birthday Present

I DREW RIPTIDE WHILE ANNABETH GOT IN A READY POSITION. Man, I really hate these guys, I thought. "Duck!" Annabeth yelled.

I ducked just in time to miss the bird's sharp beak.

"Thanks," I said.

"Don't mention it."

I swung riptide in a deadly ark. 10 of them fell to the ground, but since there were so many, it hardly made a difference. The birds started pecking everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. I was glad I had the curse of Achilles.

I glanced quickly over to see how Annabeth was doing. She had the door of the car torn off and was using it like a shield. Her knife was going so fast, the birds didn't know what hit them until they were on the ground in a pile of dust.

That's my girl.

I turned my attention to my fight. I kept swinging and hacking until I could see the swarm was getting smaller. Annabeth was all scratched up and I was exhausted. The only thing keeping the birds away from my Achilles spot was the car.

I saw through the crowd to see something sitting on the hood of the car. It was like the rest of the birds, but it was the size of a big turkey. It squawked, then it started tearing up the hood until there was a hole right to the engine.

Annabeth yelled. "Percy!"

I grabbed her hand and we sprinted away as the car exploded. Sending us, some birds, and car parts flying downhill. I hit my head against a tree and blacked out.

I dreamt I was in the middle of the ocean. I couldn't see any other animals in the water other than a school of krill. I heard a deep, malicious laugh rumble throughout the water, making me shiver.

"Who's there? What are you doing here?" I demanded.

Once again, the laugh rippled through the water like waves.

"What am I doing here? I live here, sea rat. Actually, I am here."

I was confused. "What do you mean? Show yourself."

"Very well, if that's what you want." I saw a massive, dense body forming. He had ghostly blue skin, neon green eyes, and instead of legs, he had tentacles. He smiled evilly, revealing 3 rows of shark teeth.

"I am Pontus, the boundless seas. And as to why I'm here with you. My Mistress has sent me to ask you a question. I question that could determine the life of many."

I shifted uneasily. "What's the question? And who's your Mistress?"

He laughed. "Like I would ever tell you that. Maybe she was wrong about you being the hero of the century." My blood was beginning to boil, but I stayed calm.

"She has asked you to join her. You play a very important role in her plan, Percy Jackson. You are one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. Join her, and your friends and family will be safe from the upcoming war."

"And if I refuse…"

"Then you, your friends, and your family will die along with the rest of the world."

"I will never join you or your "Mistress". Go to Tarterus!" I spat at him.

He just shrugged. "Fine then. I'll give you 3 days to decide. If you don't decide by then, you will pay with your life. Choose Wisely."

I couldn't breathe. I could feel the pressure of the water pushing down on me. Pontus laughed long and manically. I shot to the surface, my lungs burning for air.

When I reached the surface, I sat up quickly next to Annabeth. She sat up, alarmed.

"What happened?" she asked.

I told her my dream, leaving out the part of me dying.

I'll give you 3 days to decide. If you don't decide by then, you will pay with your life. Choose Wisely.

"Whoever this "Mistress" is, we will not let her win. Once we get back to camp, we'll tell Chiron. He'll know what to do"

I stood up and looked around. It seemed different. I knew the sun was rising, so we must have slept all night. But that wasn't it. Annabeth must have noticed it, too.

"We moved."

"What do you mean?" I asked

"I mean that we're not in San Francisco anymore. Here, I'll show you."

We walked up an incline and onto the freeway. Across the road, there was a restaurant. It said "Freddy's Road Kill Dinner", but after a minute of staring at it, I realized it said "Freddy's Roadside Grill Dinner". I hate dyslexia.

My stomach growled by the thought of food. "Can we get something to eat?" I asked.

"Sure, I'm hungry, too. We might be even able to find a way back to San Francisco." We walked across the road. There were only a few cars in the parking lot. We went inside.

This old African American lady walked up to us in a red and yellow waitress outfit. "Welcome to Freddy's, darlins'. Right this way."

She ushered us to a table of two and handed us menus. "I'll be back in just a sec, hon," she said, walking off. I looked at the menu. I decided to order something for breakfast. The waitress, Monica, walked up again.

"Ok, sweethearts. What'll it be?"

"Can I get eggs with a side of bacon?" asked Annabeth while she was handing Monica the menu.

"Of course, honey. And you?"

"I'll have the waffles."

"And to drink?"

"Orange Juice," said Annabeth.

"Milk, please."

She nodded and walked off. I few minutes later she came out with our drinks. Then our food.

"Enjoy," she said.

The waffles were delicious. I guess Annabeth liked her meal, too, because as soon as she took her first bite, she sighed in content. I looked over at the TV.

Experts now confirmed that a tsunami will hit San Francisco in 3 days.

I looked at Annabeth.

The city has tried to evacuate, but massive tremors and storms have kept anyone in the city from doing so. As we speak, everyone is being moved to the highest buildings to try to avoid this catastrophe.

I knew Annabeth was thinking about her family. I felt so bad for her. I gave her a sympathetic look.

"Mm-mm. Poor people. I hope they'll be ok," said Monica. I hadn't even been aware that she had walked up behind me.

"Is there a phone I can borrow? I need to call my family to…uh…make sure their ok."

Monica nodded sadly. "Sure, sweetheart. I hope they'll be ok." She reached into her apron and pulled out a cell phone.

"Thank you so much."

Annabeth punched in her dad's number, hoping he'd answer.

"Dad? Are you….. yes we're fine we just had, uh, car trouble. Are you ok? ...What about the tsunami?... oh. What are you going to do? ... Oh yeah. I forgot about the safe room. Are you sure you guys will be alright? ... I'll be ok. I'm with Percy after all…I love you, too. Bye."

Annabeth sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Are they going to be ok?" I asked.

"I hope so. They're going to stay in the safe room that was built last summer."

"I'm happy for you, honey," said Monica. "Some people aren't that lucky."

"How far away are we from the city?" I asked.

"About a 2 day drive, if there's no traffic. But you aren't really thinking of going there, are you?"

"No, I was just wondering."

"Good," she said. "I hate to see such nice young people getting hurt."

We paid for our food, not forgetting to tip Monica, and left the dinner.

"How long will it take to walk there?"

"Too long," Annabeth replied.

"I could call the Hippocampi to come get us."

She shook her head. "It's not safe in the water right now. Even for you. Do you think you could call Blackjack?"

"He's too far away. What should we do?"

We stood there for a second before she answered. "

"Pray to your dad. Maybe he can send some horses or pegasi to take us to the city.

"I'll try."

I concentrated as hard as I could. Dad, if you're listening, can you send something to get us? A horse, a pegasus, anything. We need to get help those mortals, and fast.

We waited a few minutes. Nothing.

"Oh well, it was worth a try."

We turned around to hike off when a bright blue light shined behind us. I looked back and saw a beautiful gold, white, and blue chariot being pulled by 2 snow-white stallions. Annabeth looked at it with wonder. I heard a voice in my mind. "Consider this your late 16th birthday present."


	3. Ch 3: Journey to San Fran

WE EXAMINED THE CHARIOT CLOSER. There were wave designs on it, but the foam coming off of the waves were shaped like horses. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

"Hey Percy. Come look at this."

I walked over to the other side and bent down to see what Annabeth was looking at. Πέλοψ.

"Pelops," I said.

"This is the chariot he used to win Hippodamia from King Oenomaus!" exclaimed Annabeth in an excited voice.

"What?"

She sighed. "Pelops was the son of Tantalus."

"Wow, great dad," I muttered.

She continued as if I never interrupted. "Tantalus was favored by the gods and decided to hold a banquet for them. He chopped up his son and made him into a stew. When the gods found out, Zeus sent him to Hades to be tortured for eternity. The gods reformed him, replacing a missing shoulder bone with ivory, and raised him on Olympus. When he was a grown man, they sent him to win a kingdom. But Pelops fell in love with Hippodamia, daughter of King Oemonaus. The king had received a prophecy that he would be killed by his son-in-law. So every time a suitor came for his daughter, he would challenge them to a chariot race. If they won, they would get to marry the princess. If they lost, they'd be killed and their heads would be put on the entrance gate to the city."

"That is really gross," I said.

"So far, 12 had been killed, and Pelops wasn't going to be the 13th. Poseidon gave him this chariot and horses to go up against Oemonaus. No horses could out run the king's horses, for he was a son of Ares and these were horses of the war god. That is, until Pelops. But Hippodamia had fallen in love with Pelops and didn't want him to die. So she told the stable boy to rig the chariot to go slower so Pelops had a better chance of winning. The stable boy did more than that. He replaced the pins holding on the wheels with wax. The next day was the race."

_"Oh, this is my favorite part!_" said one of the horses in my mind. It's weird to be able to talk to horses, but it does come in handy.

"When they took off, the king was surprised that Pelops was keeping up with him. He pushed his horses harder, but still they could not seem to pass Pelops. Finally, the pins gave way, and the king was killed by his own horses. Hippodamia and Pelops were so mad at the faithless stable boy, he was thrown off a cliff and died. Thus Pelops won over the kingdom."

"Harsh," I said. "There is too much death in this story."

_"Not to be rude or anything, my lord,"_ said the horse. _"But if we are going to make to San Francisco in time, we'd better get going."_

"You're right."

"Right about what?" Annabeth asked.

"Sorry, I was talking to…um…what's your name?"

The first one, the more talkative one, said, "I'm Keroth. And this is my brother, Arimus."

"I was talking to Keroth," I replied, patting him on the back. Keroth whinnied.

Annabeth shook her head. "I'm never going to get over the fact that you can talk to horses. Anyway, we'd better get going."

We took off with a start. We were going as fast as any car on the highway. I was expecting the ride to be bumpy and uncomfortable, but the chariot was perfectly balanced.

Annabeth and I talked about how school had been the last few months and about all of the things we had been doing.

Annabeth was the head of her class in everything, including PE (big shocker). I had joined the school swim team and I always creamed everybody. I don't make it too obvious that I'm the son of Poseidon. I always beat them by just enough to be normal.

Annabeth was surprised that I hadn't been kicked out of Goode yet. I said the only reason I hadn't been was because of Paul, but I was proud of myself regardless.

"So," I said. "Do you have a date to the prom yet?"

She chuckled. "Well, I've had a few offers, but I turned them down. I said I was already planning to go with a great guy."

"Who is he?"

"You, Seaweed Brain! Who else could it be?"

"I don't know, Conner, Travis, someone from school…"

"Well hey, what about you? Have you had any offers yet?"

"Yeah, but I told them that you'd hurt them if they kept trying."

She laughed. "I probably would."

We spent the rest of the trip in silence. When the sun went down, we went to the side of the road to make camp. I let Keroth and Arimus graze while we made camp.

I took the first watch. After about 4 hours, Annabeth woke up to take over her shift. I lied down and fell asleep instantly. I was woken up by Annabeth's screams. I bolted up, Riptide ready.

"What's wrong?"

"There's… huge… furry… spider!"

She said pointing to a large bush.

I sighed. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it." I put up riptide.

"But-but it's HUGE!"

"It's alright. I bet it's nothing."

Annabeth stood by the chariot when I went to go kill the spider.

_How big can it be?_ I thought.

I pulled apart the bushes and was pushed back by a huge, harry arm. The spider came out of its hiding place. When Annabeth meant huge, she meant huge. It was the size of a minivan. Its fangs were dripping with poison. Annabeth screamed.

I finally knew what it was like to have arachnophobia.


	4. Ch 4: What's Up with Horses and Tums?

I rolled out of the way as its leg rammed into the ground where I was laying. I stood up and uncapped Riptide. I slashed my sword in an attempt to cut off one of its legs, but it was faster than it looked.

I looked back to see if Annabeth was there, but she had probably went to find the horses so we could make a getaway.

I rolled under it and stabbed upward. It only went in a few inches, but the monster roared in pain. I ran out the other side, expecting an easy opening for a kill. But instead, it shot a ball of web at my eyes.

And boy did it burn.

I dropped Riptide and started to claw at my eyes, desperate to get it off, but I knew it was no use. I was rammed up against the tree, face first. I had a feeling it knew where my Achilles spot was.

I was expecting to be run through with one of its fangs, but instead I heard a roar. I was dropped to the ground.

"Percy!"

I felt someone help get off the webbing. When I rubbed my sore, red eyes I saw Annabeth covered in monster dust.

"How did… did you…wow," I mumbled like an idiot.

She smiled proudly. "Let's go. I'll tell you on the way."

Keroth and Arimus were already hooked in the harness and ready to go.

"Are you ok, my lord?" asked Keroth.

"I thought you were a gonner!" said Arimus, who surprisingly talked.

"I'm ok," I told them. "Thanks to Annabeth."

They looked at each other and seemed to share a mocking expression, if horses could do that.

I took the reins and we set off. The rising sun made the water looked orange and pink.

"So," I said. "Thanks for saving me back there. How did you do it? I mean, weren't you terrified?"

She looked down. "I put on my Yankee's cap and tried to hide. I figured you'd take care of it, like you always do."

"But when the spider blinded you, I knew you needed my help. I've faced titans, giants, and yet I was afraid of a spider? I couldn't let it hurt you, so while it pinned you against the tree, I jumped up on its back and stabbed it on the head."

I put my arm around her. "You are the bravest person I know. You not only took on one of your greatest fears, but you defeated it. I'm so proud of you."

She blushed then hugged me tightly. "Thanks, Seaweed Brain. Sometimes, you do know what to say."

I smiled and hugged her back. We kept riding until we pulled over to a gas station to get some food. I parked the chariot figuring the Mist would confuse the mortals.

"Do you guys want anything?" I asked the horses.

"Tums!" they yelled together.

"Why Tums?" I asked.

"Tums are like candy! Plus, they keep you regular. You should have some!" stated Arimus.

"No thanks, I'm good. We'll be back in a minute."

Annabeth and I walked inside. While she got food and other stuff we might need, I got us some coffee. We'd only be driving for another day, but she insisted on getting them anyway.

"You never know what will happen."

I returned with the coffee as Annabeth finished checking out. I looked over all the extra stuff she got. She had a lighter, a couple of blankets, 2 pillow pets, and a First Aid Kit. They all seemed pretty practical, so I handed her the $10 bill I had in my pocket.

The lady at the counter eyed the stuff suspiciously. "So, you guys going on a camping trip?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Annabeth. The lady picked up the pack of Tums.

"They're for me," I said hastily. "You don't want to know."

She put them in the bag. We paid and left the store. I took out the Tums and each let them have a few.

"MM-MM!" they said. "Thank you, my lord."

"Don't call me lord. Just call me Percy."

"Whatever you want, my lord- I mean Percy. As long as you keep some Tums on you." said Keroth. I rolled my eyes and got in the chariot.

We took off. Annabeth and I both had a granola bar and a bottle of Gatorade. I few more hours went by uneventfully.

"OW!"

We swerved off the side of a road. I got control of the chariot just before we crashed into a tree.

"What's wrong?"

"Keroth doesn't look to good," said Arimus.

Keroth was lying on the ground with 2 punctures on his front leg. While Annabeth got the First Aid Kit, I went out onto the road. I looked around. Off to the edge, I saw a tale slither into the woods.

I went back to Annabeth. "It's a snake bite," I said. I saw it go off the side of the road.

"Ohhhh," moaned Keroth. "I hate snakes. I'll probably die. But I'll die a majestic and heroic death."

Arimus started to cry.

"Calm down. You aren't going to die…is he?"

"No," said Annabeth. "It wasn't a very venomous species. He'll be fine. But he definitely cannot run until tomorrow."

I patted Keroth on the flank. "I'm sorry I ruined it, my lord," he said.

"You didn't ruin anything," I told him. "We still have tomorrow morning. If we leave first thing, we should make it in time. Don't worry about it. Now get some rest."

He laid his head on the ground. Arimus walked over. "Can you tell the girl I said thank you for helping my brother?"

I smiled reassuringly at him. "I will."

**A/N: I just wanna give a shout out to my BFF and author-extraordinaire, Queen-Mim! She is AMAZING, and if anyone here is a fan of the musical Wicked/Idina Menzel, you guys should really check it out! Its called No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. REVIEW!**


	5. Ch 5: My Confession

I WALKED OVER TO ANNABETH AND PUT MY HAND ON HER SHOULDER AS SHE FINISHED PACKING UP THE FIRST AID KIT. She moved a strand of her hair from her eyes. Even though she was dirty and she stunk a little bit, she looked perfect to me. I hated lying to her.

Annabeth looked up and frowned slightly. "What's up?"

"Oh. Nothing, Arimus just wanted me to tell you thank you for taking care of Keroth."

She smiled. "It was nothing. I've dealt with more serious bites before. Remember when Katie got bitten by that snake in the strawberry fields a little while back? Not pretty."

That brought up a picture of Katie's discolored, swollen, and oozing hand. I shivered at the thought.

"I'm glad we treated her fast enough. She could have lost her hand, judging from the level of deterioration. She kept telling me that she if she died, she wanted to let everyone know that she cared about them, even the Stolls."

I looked down, a feeling of guilt covering me.

"That helped me realize that life was short, especially for a demigod. But I thought that was only out in the real world, not at camp. Demigods mostly go from being attacked by monsters or killed in battle."

"But we're humans, too. We can die in tons of ways. That worries me. I usually worry about my friends when they are on a quest or in intimate danger. I understand now that life is precious for everyone."

"Even humans. Especially humans. They don't know that there's a life after death. Some of them think that since they only have their time on earth, they can do whatever they want. Then they end up tortured for all eternity."

A tear fell from her cheek. I wrapped my arms around her.

"People always have a choice, Annabeth," I said.

"No one tells them to steal, or kill the innocent, or do wrong. They choose their paths for themselves. Even for demigods. We know what will happen, but still some of us still choose to do the wrong things. But we don't feel sorry for them. All we can do is help them make the right decisions. We can't make them for them."

She sniffled. "Thanks, Seaweed Brain."

"Annabeth?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"I have a confession."

She looked at me with her big, beautiful, gray eyes.

"I didn't tell you my entire dream. I didn't want to worry you, but after hearing that story, I think it would be best to tell you."

I led her to a log and we sat down.

"In my dream, Pontus said I had three days to come up with my decision or my entire world would be broken, and that I would die."

She looked at me with an expression of anger and sadness.

"You've been threatened before, and you're still here. Everyone thought that you were going to die last summer, but you didn't. We are going to make it through this, like we always do."

I looked at her sympathetically. "It's not me I'm worried about. It's everyone else. You, Grover, camp, my mom and Paul, the world. Everyone I care about. I can't let anything happen to you, even if that means giving up my own life."

A tear fell from her cheek.

"I've always been there for you, Percy. And you know that. We have all been there for you. Don't give up on us now."

She stood up. "I'm going to get some fire wood. You make camp and check on the horses."

She left, leaving me on the log by myself. I rubbed my eyes. I was confused. I needed to clear my head. After putting out the blankets and pillows and checking on the horses, I grabbed a Slim Jim from the bag and walked across the highway to the ocean.

Right now I didn't care if it was safe or not. The ocean always calms me down and helps me think. I stepped into the surf and I felt instantly refreshed. I sat down and let my feet soak.

That entire conversation with Annabeth had been emotional. I'm not really the mushy type, but I felt relieved and upset about telling Annabeth how I felt. She was right, I had been threatened a lot, but when Pontus said it, I believed him. I felt something bump my foot. I looked down and saw a sturgeon nudging me to follow him.

I had been practicing my skills with communicating with marine life at camp in the lake.

"What's wrong?" I said telepathically.

"My lord! There's a pod of porpoises stuck in a tuna net in the channel! Please help!"

I looked back across the highway. I couldn't let them stay stuck there until they died.

"I'm on my way."

I dove into the water and followed the sturgeon to a tuna net with 5 porpoises stuck in it. Even though it was getting dark, I could see perfectly underwater, day or night.

"It's alright," I told them. "I'll have you out in a minute."

I uncapped Riptide, but it spooked the animals, which only got them more twisted.

"It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you," I said while cutting the net in half. It fell to the bottom and the animals escaped.

"I don't think it's you that they're worried about," said a scary yet familiar voice behind me.

"Pontus," I said.

"Oh, how clever of you," he said sarcastically, revealing himself. "I hope you've thought of a good answer to my question."

"I have," I said. "As I said before, I will never join your mistress. I bet she is just as hideous as you are."

I probably shouldn't have said that because for a second, Pontus looked really mad. He smiled cruelly.

"You shouldn't have done that."

He sent a powerful burst of water at me, but I dodged and shot towards him like an arrow with Riptide raised. He raised a long spear, which I had no idea he had, and got ready for my attack.

I kept going faster and faster. Before I knew it, I had Riptide in his stomach. The only thing that you could see was my hilt. I thought I had done it. But instead he pulled it out. The wound closed instantly.

"Foolish boy! You can't cause any harm to me in my domain. Even you, Son of Poseidon, are no match for me."

I stayed there, stunned. That should have really wounded him. I realized the only way I'd beat him was to get him on land. But before I could really think of a plan, Pontus launched Riptide at me.

The force was enough to push me back in to the tuna net. I tried to get my sword, which was laying on the bottom, but that just got me as tangled as the dolphins were.

Pontus moved over to me and stuck his ugly face up in mine.

"I would kill you now, but that wouldn't be any fun. We want to see you suffer first. Maybe when you see what we have planned for your family, you'll change your mind about our offer."

No way was I going to let him hurt them. He laughed amusingly at my effort.

"There, there. Their deaths will be quick and painless. Unlike yours will be."

He reeled back his arm and punched me. I blacked out.


End file.
